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Police in Lahore struggled on Monday to disperse enraged lawyers who tried to break into the courtroom of Lahore High Court (LHC) chief justice as they protested against the contempt of court proceedings against Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA)’s president of Multan bench.

According to media reports, the lawyers tore down the main gate of the court as police used water cannon and fired teargas shells to scatter the protesters. The incident began when a group of lawyers tried to enter the court through the judges’ gate and turned violence when police tried to stop them, sources said.

The protesters demanded that the court should immediately take back its orders to arrest Sher Zaman Qureshi, president of LHCBA’s Multan chapter, and dismiss the contempt proceedings against him. Sources said several lawyers were injured during clashes with the police and were shifted to the city’s Mayo Hospital, however, Qureshi escaped from the scene.

On August 1, the LHC issued bailable arrest warrants for Qureshi for not appearing before the court for his alleged misbehaviour with a judge.

AGP urges restraint

Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Ashtar Ausaf Ali expressed deep sorrow and remorse at the clashes between lawyers and police outside the LHC.

“Bench and the bar complement each other and have to work in harmony. Consumers of justice depend on them and any rift between them will be perceived by people as failure of the justice system,” the AGP said in a message to the bar leaders and the lawyers community as he urged them to show restraint and to uphold the dignity of the bar. “The dignity of both institutions has to be maintained at all costs.”